Fury as WA police officers cut from front-line in $31m budget slash

THE WA Police Union has slammed a State Government directive to slash $31 million from the police budget, in an unprecedented move that will see officers cut from the front line.

mWA Police had been ordered to cut $21 million as part of the two per cent efficiency dividends across all government departments, but today Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan revealed that he had been instructed to axe another $10 million from his budget.

Union president George Tilbury branded the cuts of 104 police public servant and officer positions as "absolutely ridiculous'' on the eve of an election, saying there was no doubt the move would affect frontline services.

Mr Tilbury said Premier Colin Barnett and Treasurer Troy Buswell needed to answer some serious questions about the action.

"This government has clearly lost touch and these additional cuts will affect frontline services,'' he said.

"We are talking about $31 million being wiped off the police budget, which is equivalent to a metropolitan police district being wiped off the face of the map.

"The consequences of this government's decision is that frontline services will be affected, crime will increase and the community will be put at additional risk.

"Any positions that are cut from the police service will affect the frontline. If you take away public servants, those positions will have to be backfilled by frontline police officers.

"If this government is serious about law and order, they will exempt police totally from these budget cuts.''

But Police Minister Liza Harvey said there were currently 7848 WA police officer and public servant positions in the state's force, with 7744 of those filled.

"There are no people within WA Police at the moment that are going to lose their jobs. These are 104 positions that were not filled. Now, instead of being able to fill up to 7848, the Commissioner's been told to stay at 7744,'' Mrs Harvey said.

"We can't just continue to expand our workforce if we don't have the means to pay them. Those 104 people amounts to $10 million a year in recurrent expenditure.

"There will be no fewer cops on the beat, they will not be taken from frontline services.

"The existing levels of services people are experiencing from police, they can expect to be maintained.''

Opposition police spokeswoman Michelle Roberts said the latest announcement was "incomprehensible'' and an "extremely savage'' cut to a police budget that was already under pressure.

"To cut directly into the frontline of the police service is just crazy. It is a wrong priority,'' Mrs Roberts said.

"This makes a complete mockery of Colin Barnett's law and order strategy.''

She called on the Premier to reverse the decision immediately and reconsider spending on other projects including Elizabeth Quay.

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